Elfen
by Angelfish10108
Summary: Umm...I don't know how to do this but here I go: A girl breaks out of a Weapon X Institute and joins up with the X-men. Not really sure where this is going yet...but I'll be adding more chapters ASAP. Rated PG-13 for violence and language.
1. Great Escape

*Disclaimer* I do not own X-Men or any part of it, but Elf is my own character! Steal her and I will hunt you down and hurt you! (Maybe I won't hurt you, but I will hunt you down nonetheless!)  
  
  
  
  
  
ELFEN  
  
  
  
  
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"That's enough for today, mutants. Back to your cells." The speaker buzzed into the training room. A young girl, hardly even five years old, glared at the catcher that came to fetch her. She allowed the catcher to put the metal ring around her neck, and followed them out the barred door to her cell. The catcher pushed her in, pulling the ring off of her neck, and locked the door.  
  
The girl looked around her cell, and into the cell's of others. She saw the man that had intrigued her so much, sitting with his back to the bars of his cell door. He was the one they called Wolverine, one of their greatest. The girl wished he would save her, take ehr life, anything to get her out of this place. As though hearing her thoughts, Wolverine turned to her, staring maliciously at her with narrowed eyes. The girl turned away, and went to the darkest corner of her cell. She slid to the floor, rocking while hugging her knees, and thought of the world outside the steel inforceed walls of the institute.  
  
The speaker crackled over the cries and howls and screams of all of the cellmates, giving out its last message of the night.  
  
"Lights out!"  
  
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As the years passed, the girl's hatred for the institute greatened. She longed to know what 'sunlight' was. She longed to smell a flower, which the women spoke of with such passion. Assunlight and flowers were mysteries to her, so was this 'love' that she heard when she was led to and from her cell. She would hear them talking in their offices, their voices ranging from dreamy to passionate with hate when they spoke of 'love'. The great mystery.  
  
"Roll call!" The speaker crackled and buzzed.  
  
The girl stood, tall for the age of sixteen now, as a catcher opened her cell door and snapped the ring onto her neck. "Come on!" He snarled as the girl stumbled along. A shock of electricity ran along her spine and she grit her teeth in pain.   
  
"I said move!" Her catcher bellowed. The girl fell, exhausted and nauseated. Another shock from that electric whip and a kick in the stomach, and she was ready to shrivel up and die right there on that harsh cement floor.  
  
Out of the corner of her eye, the girl saw Wolverine whipped for trying to move towards her. His cry echoed through the chamber, and the girl rose with her rage bubbling inside her.  
  
"Faster!" Her catcher yelled, whipping her again. The girl fell, her rage hardly making up for her pain. The whip fell to her back again, sending jolts up and down her spine. The girl grit her teeth and tried to get up, but the whip was laid across her back again...and again...and again...  
  
"You miserable little mutant!" Her catcher growled, giving her another whipping. The girl looked up at him, and a single tear ran down her cheek. Her catcher snarled.   
  
"Don't cry! You have no feeling!" He shouted, enraged at a glimpse of emotion in the midst of all of these killing machines.  
  
Wolverine bellowed as the whip went across his back for the second time, and wrenched it out of his catcher's hands with a tug. His catcher let out a strangeled cry as the claws that they put into him, popped out from between his knuckles and into his catcher's stomach. The girl lay on the ground, the back of her plain shirt torn open and covered with her blood. Whimpers escaped her throat without her knowing as Wolverine tore apart all of the catchers he could reach.  
  
A siren went off, flooding the room with a blinking red light. The girl struggled to her feet, and stumbled to a window, fogged and dirty so that no light could penetrate the glass. She hardly knew what she was doing when she threw herself through it, and landed in a white powdery substance. Snow. Her mind had stopped controlling her, now. All she followed was instincts, her feet carrying her through the underbrush of the forest, away from the institute. More tears fell, and she was glad that her catcher couldn't see them.  
  
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Another week passed, this one full of just as much horror as her life in the institute. She followed Wolverine, wondering why he always seemed to make her wonder at things, make her seem more curious then she usually was. She observed him as he hunted, watched how he cooked his food, made mental notes on how to make a shelter out of whatever she could find. And she guarded him while he slept. It felt strange, even to her, to ensure the safety of someone she could never speak to before. She knew he could guard himself, but her curiosity of him grew as time went on.  
  
So did her illness.  
  
The girl began shivering as soon as she had run for an hour through the forest. There seemed no end to the trees and bushes all around her. After a week had passed, she only gained warmth by sitting next to Wolverine's fire during the night and fleeing when he first began to stir. Her skin had gained a ghostly blue hue to it, which scared her more than anything else she had ever encountered in the institute.  
  
The girl added a few pieces of wood to Wolverine's fire before she fled that morning. She didn't know why, since he would get suspicious. But the fire was burning so low, she just felt the urge to do it. Wolverine got up from beneath his shelter, swept away the snow that had fallen overnight, and went away to get food. The girl took advantage of this and warmed herself by the fire until she heard him coming back almost half an hour later. The girl scurried away to get her own meal, usually a small duck that had stayed behind or a rabbit. She ate the meat fresh, while the steam still rose from the animal's dead body, and then filled her mouth with snow to wash down the blood. Wolverine smelled the scent of a fresh kill on the wind, and knew that whatever hadcaught it was lucky to be alive right then.  
  
The girl washed off her hands in the snow, and stumbled back to where Wolverine camped, a dribble of blood on her chin. She began shivering, uncontrollably. Wolverine heard her teeth chattering, and looked around with alert. His claws popped out, and the girl stumbled to her feet. She ran as best she could, nearly dragging her leg behind her, and leaned against a tree for a moment to catch her breath. She could hear Wolverine coming towards her, sniffing the wind and crunching throughthe underbrush. She pushed herself away and ran/limped along until she lost feeling in her legs. She collapsed in a heap beside a bush, nearly blending with the muddy brown branches and leftover leaves.  
  
Wolverine stood over her uncertainly, his chest heaving from the rush of adrenaline and his eardrums pounding. He knew her from the institute, as a scared girl filled with natural stubborness and anger. She had the same looks as someone he had known many years before, but she still had that sense of anger in the air around her. Wolverine popped his claws back in and bent down low to check if she was still alive. The only movement for a few brief moments was the wind rustling her hair and Wolverine's chest moving up and down slowly. He sighed and lifted her, muttering about being in debt to the dear friend he had lost who had looked so much like her.  
  
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The girl woke up with something wrapped around her, and warmth flooding over her in comforting waves. Wolverine slept peacefully on his pallet next to her, his breathing even. The girl sat up and noticed she had on Wolverine's shirt, with his serial number on the back. Her own shirt had been in near shreds before, barely staying on her. Wolverine didn't have a bluish hue, which only enraged the girl. She felt like pummeling Wolverine with her fists, which surprised even herself. The girl made fists until her nails bit into her palms, drawing blood. She doubted Wolverine would stay asleep if he smelled blood, so she fell back to her pallet in exhaustion.  
  
Wolverine stirred, and woke up. He checked the girl's pulse, put the back of his hand to her forehead to see if her temperature was normal yet, and threw another piece of wood onto the fire. He rubbed his hands together, and to the girl's surprise, put a can of snow next to the fire. It melted after a while, and Wolverine left to get some meat. He let the water sit in hot embers until it began bubbling and boiling before he tossed in a few chunks of meat. The girl sat up, watching him silently, her golden yellow eyes taking in anything and everything. Wolverine coughed, cleared his throat, and poked at the fire with a long stick.  
  
"Elf, can't you talk?" Elf sat silently still, taking in the fact he had called her by her institute name. The name that hung around her neck on those hated dogtags. Elf didn't respond. She had been silent so long, her mind had erased all memory of speech. Wolverine glanced back at her.  
  
"I know you have a voice, Elf. I've heard you singing those little songs of yours late at night to the little ones." He said with a sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. "Elf, can you say my name?"  
  
Elf sat still, her golden-yellow eyes fixed on him. "W-w-wol-vie." She stuttered. Wolverine turned away before she could see his faint smile.  
  
"You just call me that, Elf." He mumbled. Elf heard him.   
  
"Wolvie." She said again, listening to the syllables slip off her tongue as though they were liquid.  
  
"Elf, what's your real name?" Wolverine asked. He poked the fire again, sending sparks and embers flying into the cloudy winter sky.  
  
"E-ll-i." Elf stuttered, surprised she still remembered her name. She had hardly heard it for ten years. Wolverine smirked into the dancing flames.   
  
"Elli..." He mumbled. "I'll call you Elf, though. You just keep calling me Wolvie, even though my real name is Logan. Alright?"  
  
Elf nodded blankly, her smile fading quickly into a scowl. She couldn't explain her quick change of emotions, but the happiness had drained from her as soon as Wolverine had told her his real name.  
  
Wolverine looked back at her curiously.   
  
"Don't you want to get warm?" He asked, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. Elf blushed a little and scotted up next to him by the fire.  
  
As Elf sat next to Wolverine by the campfire, in their small shelter surrounded by innocent white snow, she felt such an emptiness deep inside that a lump jumped into her throat and her eyes got dewy. Something was missing...  
  
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Elf and Wolverine travelled, Elf usuing a small branch as a walking stick. Wolverine didn't seem dainted by the cold, perhaps from his experience in the wild?  
  
A humming noise made Elf's ears perk up and the soles of her bare feet tingle. A machine sped by ahead of them a good distance, making her jump and tremble with surprise and fear.  
  
"W-what w-was th-th-that, Wolvie?" She asked in a tiny voice. Wolverine watched it go, and looked at her curiously.  
  
"A car, Elf. People use them to go places quickly." He answered, not quite able to disguise the amusement in his voice. Elf looked up with wide eyes.  
  
"People? What about mutants?" Her voice held complete confusion. Wolverine forgot she had been raised her whole life in the institute.   
  
"Well, not everyone is a mutant, kid." He said gruffly. Elf hurried to catch up with him as he walked swiftly to the road.  
  
"Elf, cover your ears." Elf pulled a cap she had found over her tall pointed ears and leaned on her walking stick. She watched Wolverine look from side to side on the road, and catch sight of a tanker. He tossed a sharp rock into the road and pulled Elf into the bushes. The tire on the truck popped, and they watched as the driver got out and began changing it, mumbling swears every few seconds. The driver got back into the truck, and as he began revving up the engine, Wolverine jumped onto the back of the truck, where there was a small space between the cab and the hold. He motioned for Elf to follow. Elf limped over quickly, but the truck began lumbering along. She sped up, and grabbed Wolverine's hand just as the truck gathered speed.  
  
"Elf, be careful and don't make a lot of noise." Wolverine warned. Elf nodded blankly, as she mostly did, and sat back to enjoy her free ride.  
  
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Elf fell asleep after a few hours of riding along in the back of the truck. Wolverine watched her sleep for a while, exhaustion making his eyelids heavier with each passing second. The driver also felt the effects of sleep coming upon him, his last cup of coffee being that morning. After Elf and Wolverine had been sleeping for a couple of hours, the driver slumped over onto his wheel and the tanker began to turn. Elf woke at the screeching of brakes as the driver woke with a start, and realized the truck was...tipping over!  
  
"Wolvie!" Elf cried as she was flung off of the tanker and onto the road behind it. She rolled and tumbeld to a stop, feeling bruised and broken.  
  
"Elf!" Wolverine yelled. He jumped from the tanker as it rolled over a few times, and then burst into flames. Wolverine ran to El's side, watching a small pool of blood form where her side had been pierced by a piece of metal from the tanker. He lifted her, and felt the warm sticky blood on his fingers.  
  
"W-w-wolvie?" Elf stuttered, her eyes wide with fright when she saw his face. Wolverine carried her away from the fiery tanker.  
  
"We have to get you help, Elf." Wolverine stated. His voice cracked. He didn't know why he was so upset. He had only cared for the girl for a month, maybe a bit more.  
  
Elf whimpered as her ears picked up a loud sound, from far away. Wolverine growled deep in his throat, not trusting whatever was coming.  
  
A sleek black jet appeared in a lare clearing before them, as though it had just landed. Wolverine growled again, his eyes narrowing with distrust. Elf struggled in Wolverine's grasp, and fell to the ground. Wolverine took a step away from her in surprise, and suddenly there was a blue, fuzzy thing next to her. Wolverine growled again, his claws popping out.  
  
"Stay away from her..." he warned. The blue fuzzy thing got up, and Wolverine almost panicked. It was something demonic, with yellow eyes and fangs, and a spaded tail besides the fact that they were blue and fuzzy, and had tall pointed ears like Elf did.  
  
"I am here to help you, Wolverine." He said, Wolverine supposed it was a he. What else would have a masculine stance, and voice? He stopepd growling, but didn't let his claws back in.  
  
"I don't need help."  
  
Elf whimpered again, and tried to escape her pain by twisting on the ground. The demon saw her there, pity and horror mingling in his eyes.  
  
"You might not, but vhat about her?" Wolverine looekd down at Elf. The blood was spreading on the ground...so much blood...  
  
"Don't hurt her." He demanded as the demon picked her up.  
  
"I von't." It headed back to the jet. "But she vill vant to see you, vhen she is vell again." Wolverine's eyes widened at the statement, but he ran after the little blue demon anyway.  
  
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What do you think? I'm not that great, so PLEASE! be kind! This is my very first posted fanfic, and to tell anyone who is reading this the truth, I am scared shitless that I'll get a bad review. 


	2. Nightmares and Rabbit Feed

*Disclaimer* I do not own X-Men or any part of it, but i do own Elf/Elli. Do not steal her or I will hunt you down! Grrrrrr!  
  
  
ELFEN  
  
  
  
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Elf woke up in a sterile room so much like the institute, it scared her. She ended up struggling out of her bed and falling onto the floor. As she heard a whirring sound, Elf squeezed ehr eyes shut, drew her knees up to her chest and trembled with fear, hoping that it wasn't a catcher.  
  
"Are you alright?"  
  
Elf opened her eyes to see a pair of wheels before her. She looked up and saw a man sitting in a wheelchair, his blad head nearly reflecting the light. She nodded blankly, but still trembled. When the man reached out to her, she drew back against the wall and her eyes widened in fear. He drew his hand back with a sigh.  
  
"I won't hurt you. I promise, little Elli."  
  
Elf stopped trembling so much, and heard more footsteps. A tall woman with white hair that fell in slight waves to her waist hurried to the man's side, her brown eyes curious but fearful. She leaned close to Elf, and Elf drew away again. there was a catcher that had looked like this woman, and it had been her first catcher. The woman pulled away, almost surprised as to the reaction.  
  
Elf heard more footsteps, and thought a word she heard the tanker driver use. But it wasn't another stranger, it was Wolverine.  
  
"Elf?" He called from the doorway to the room. Elf perked up and her face brightened.  
  
"Wolvie?" The woman stepped to the side to let Wolverine through. Wolverine helped Elf back onto her bed, and wiped away a tear on her cheek.  
  
"It's okay, Elf. These people are going to help you, okay?" Elf nodded, wishing she knew how to talk more. Wolverine smiled faintly, but turned to the man and the woman.  
  
"Why is she shaking?"  
  
The woman looked ready to just keel over at his rough voice.  
  
"I don't know. She fears us, me even more than the Professor."  
  
Wolverine narrowed his eyes at the Professor. The man returned the stare, only without the suspicion. Wolverine faced Elf again, his face open.  
  
"They need to check your bandage, Elf. I'll be back later. I promise."  
  
Elf nodded and watched him leave. The woman looked at Elf with care not to make her eyes seem...angry or upset in any way.  
  
"Elf? I'm Ororo. I just need to make sure you're healing normally. Is that okay?"  
  
Elf nodded and Ororo lifted the light blue shirt that Elf wore now. She saw how bloody the bandage was, and removed it from Elf's side.  
  
"Don't move, I need to get a new bandage. Just hold up the shirt so I can get to it."  
  
Elf stared at her blankly, but silently schemed an escape from this strange new place that reminded her of that horrible institute.  
  
Don't even think about it, Elli.  
  
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Elf whimpered deep in her throat.  
  
Who are you? What do you want? Her mind screamed. Elf kept her face blank and her eyes vacant.  
  
I want to keep you safe, with a loving home.  
  
That mysterious word was in there. Love.  
  
What is...love? And why would I ever need it?  
  
The voice in her mind chuckled deeply, a sad sound.  
  
Love is what you feel when you have someone caring for you, and giving you everythhing you need. Elf's heart raced. Catchers.  
  
I don't need it! I've survived without it for years, and I can for as long as I wish! She retorted, her eyes flickering to the anger she felt so often. The Professor frowned at her.  
  
"Elli, you misunderstand. It can't be explained, and a person like you can wither away without it after time passes. Believe me, Elli. You will know what I mean after a weeks time."  
  
Ororo looked at them in confusion as she put the bandage onto Elf's side.  
  
"Does the cut hurt, Elf?" Elf shook her head, and Ororo looked at her sympathetically.  
  
"Can you talk?" She whispered. Elf nearly jumped. Only Wolverine had asked her that.  
  
"Wolvie t-t-teaches me. I d-do well." She answered, stumbling over only a couple of the words.  
  
Ororo's brow furrowed.  
  
"Why can't you speak well? Didn't your parents teach you?"  
  
Elf looked at her as though she had suddenly sprouted another head.  
  
"P-parents? What are they?" Elf knew the last statement by heart, she said it so often.  
  
Ororo sighed. The Professor looked at Elf.  
  
Where did you grow up?  
  
The Mutant Institute. Where else would anyone be raised?  
  
The Professor shook his head sadly.  
  
"Go to bed now, Elli."  
  
"Elf." The Professor looked up with mild surprise.  
  
"What?" Elf found new strength in her words, surprising a person with them.  
  
"My name...is Elf."  
  
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Elf followed Wolverine, limping slightly. Her limp had nearly left her, but it still bothered her the tiniest bit  
  
"Elf!" Ororo cried from behind. "Elf what are you doing out like that?"  
  
Elf looked at Ororo in bewilderment.  
  
"Wrong?" She said, a small word she had learned.  
  
Ororo thrust a ring at her.  
  
"Put it on, and then open up the rock and press the button inside. Never go anywhere without it!"  
  
Ororo hurried away, leaving Elf to wonder what was wrong with her. She looekd at Wolverine with big eyes.  
  
"Wrong?"  
  
Wolverine sighed. Elf looked too different from everyone else. She would never pass for normal, ever. From her Dark green hair to her pale green skin, she was bizarre. Then the color of her eyes was a question. Yellow-gold..and with slitted pupils? Her fingernails were green, and she had...fangs. Even stranger was the fact that she had a tail, which was spaded at the tip. Her hands and feet looked normal from a distance, but up close she had only four fingers and her feet were catlike.  
  
"Other people don't look like you, Elf. They look like the Professor and Ororo...maybe even me."  
  
Elf nodded, understanding. Even at the institute she stuck out like a sore thumb.  
  
"Bad?"  
  
Wolverine nodded, and Elf slipped the ring onto her thumb. She admired it for a moment, the pretty green stone set into the gold band was quite complimenting to her.  
  
Elf flipped back the cover of the stone, with some difficulty, and pressed the little button she found.  
  
The air around her buzzed for a moment, and then she gasped, whispering a word she had learned recently.  
  
"Woah..."  
  
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X-men, report to my office. We have a new student you need to meet.  
  
Kurt grumbled as he trudged down the hall to the Professor's office. He hated it when he got called during the middle of a good video game.  
  
"Mein gott he has wundervoll timing." He mumbled.  
  
After grumbling about how close he was to beating that one little boss guy, Kurt reached the Professor's office.  
  
"Professor? You vanted to see me?" He asked. The rest of the X-Men filtered in as the professor turned his wheelchair to them.  
  
"Yes I did. The new student should be here in a few moments." He answered. He looked towards the door. Kurt turned to the door.   
  
"Professor?"  
  
A girl came to the door, and let out a squeak of surprise, her eyes widening and her hands flying to her mouth. Kurt raised a brow in approval. The girl had black hair that fell to her waist in dreadlocks, her wide eyes were a deep green, and she had a slightly tanned skin tone. Her figure was petite, but she already had muscles and a somewhat aggressive stance. She wore a green tube shirt in camouflage colors, baggy jeans, leading down to brown army boots. (*I've always liked this outfit, so its what she wears all the time. Nyah!*) A golden ring glittered from her thumb, with what looked like an emerald on it.  
  
"Everyone, this is Elli. Be patient with her, she is very timid."  
  
Kurt tossed the Professor's comment aside. This tough looking girl? Timid? She looked like she could beat that new guy if she wanted to.  
  
"Elli, would you step into the room?"  
  
Elli stepped in...timidly. Kurt finally realized she was scared to death, of all of them. She was even beginning to tremble.  
  
One of the girls stepped forward, Jean. Her own red hair fell past her waist, and her green eyes were welcoming as she held out her hand.  
  
Elli pulled away.  
  
The Professor cleared his throat, calling the attention of everyone in the room.  
  
"Elli doesn't like to be touched. She's been hurt before."  
  
Elli glared at him as though he had betrayed some horrible secret of hers, while the others looked understanding. A few others had been abused.  
  
"Elli, why don't you show them what you look like?"  
  
Elli leaped up, staring as though the Professor had gone mad.  
  
"No! Ugly! Monster!"  
  
Kurt understood why the Professor mind-spoke to her for a few minutes. The girl's face was twisted into fear, resignation. She lifted her hand and popped open the stone on her ring.  
  
Kurt held his breath as the image of the girl fizzled and he found himself looking at a green demonic figure, their eyes large with fear and trembling just slightly.  
  
"Ugly. Monster."  
  
Kurt begged to differ.  
  
She was beautiful.  
  
******************************  
  
Elf looked around her, watching mists swirling around her feet and the tree trunks. A few steps would take her miles in this dismal place.  
  
"Hello?" She called. her voice echoed strangely here, as though other people were speaking at the same moment.  
  
A figure came out of the shadows, the shape of Wolverine silhouetted against a cold, pearly moon.  
  
"Wolvie? Is that you?" That strange echo again.  
  
The figure lumbered towards her, and Elf suddenly remembered that even though large, Wolverine made hardly any noise when he moved.  
  
The figure was close enough for Elf to smell their stale breath, warm against her face. She still couldn't see what they looked like, even though their hair fluttered against her cheeks and over her neck in the stale wind.  
  
Elf tried to back away, but her legs wouldn't move.  
  
The figure raised his arm, and Elf caught sight of the sickening yellow nails that were sharp enough to tear her through and through. As the arm came back down again with great speed, Elf screamed.  
  
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Elf woke up screaming, a cold sweat in a thin layer all over. The window next to her bed was open, letting in a warm breeze as the curtains flitted against her face.  
  
Elf's breath came raggedly, as though she had been running a long distance, her hair was stuck to the back of her neck by her sweat.  
  
The door to the room crashed open, the girls Kitty and Rogue bursting in. Kurt and Scott weren't far behind.  
  
Elf curled into a ball, hugging her knees to her chest, rocking back and forth. Her sweat made her skin feel cold and clammy now.  
  
Jean hurried over to her.  
  
"Elli, are you alright?"  
  
Elli began to speak, and then broke into heavy sobs. Jean shushed her, and held her like a mother would hold a child after a nightmare.  
  
Scott left, surprised and grateful to see no damage and no bad guys lurking in the shadows. Kitty left, to get her 'beauty sleep' and to make sure her teddy bear hadn't suffered any damage.  
  
Elf calmed down until her sobs became sniffles. Jean and Kurt didn't leave until she fell asleep again, and closed the door quietly.  
  
"How badly vas she hurt?" Kurt wondered. The question had been swimming in Jean when she first entered the room.  
  
Jean shrugegd as she answered.  
  
"Badly enough to wake up screaming for the past week, each time to do anything but cry afterwards." She sighed and the silence between her and Kurt was a bit awkward.  
  
"Shouldn't ve tell Professor?" His eyes were clouded with concern.  
  
Jean shook her head.  
  
"He already knows. He knew when she had her first nightmare. He said that the terror and hate was so thick in her head, that he couldn't sleep all that night."  
  
They stood awkwardly for another moment before Kurt moved away, back to his room.  
  
In her room, Elf sank back into yet another terrifying nightmare.  
  
******************************  
  
Elf picked at her food, hardly eating at all. She made a little mountain with her potatos, and stuck broccoli into it for trees.  
  
Wolverine watched her with mild interest as she carved a little cave into the side of the 'mountain' and then looked at it as though it had appeared out of thin air.  
  
"Something wrong, Elf?"  
  
Elf shook her head, staring at the little sculpture in confusion.  
  
"So what is that?"  
  
Elf stared at it again for a moment before looking at Wolverine.  
  
"I don't know...familiar."  
  
Her speech had improved after she listened to the bustle of teenagers for a week. But was still broken and confusing.  
  
"Elli!"  
  
Elf and Wolverine both looked up in surprise at Kurt. Kitty rolled her eyes at them from the other end of the table.  
  
"Umm...Logan, can't you please stop your growling?" Kurt's voice, thick with his German accent, was laced with a bit of fear.  
  
Wolverine stopepd growling and dug into his food. Elf looked at Kurt curiously with moss green eyes.  
  
Kurt had lost what he was going to say.  
  
"Umm, Elli. Vould you...oh shit."  
  
He rubebd the back of his neck impatiently.  
  
"Vouldyougotozedancevithme?"  
  
Elf stared after him curiously as he ducked and covered his head with his arms as though ready for a blow. He peeked at Elf, who hadn't moved, and relaxed.  
  
"Whats a dance?"  
  
Kitty began choking on a carrot. While Scott slapped Kitty on the back, Elf stared at Kurt waiting for an answer.  
  
"A dance is...vell, vhere people dance. And zey, vell dance. I...A dance is vhere you dance, Elli!"  
  
Elf nodded, her eyes amused at his discomfort for some reason.  
  
"I'll go."  
  
She snapped ehr mouth shut as soon as she said the words, because everyone looked at her. Even Wolverine looked at her strangely.  
  
"Elf, don't you think you're a little young to go on dates?"  
  
Elf shrugged.  
  
"I thought sixteen was a good age for everything."  
  
Wolverine almost fell off his chair.  
  
"I thought you were thirteen at most!"  
  
Kitty giggled from her end of the table. The lethal carrot lay in her palm. She quickly tossed it out the window behind ehr before talking.  
  
"Well, Logan, it is, like, so OBVIOUS that you are, like, totally oblivious when it comes to, like, age! But Elli, you, like, do look like a fourteen year old or something."  
  
Elf shrugged. She honestly didn't know, or care, about the age episode with people.  
  
"So, Elli. You're sixteen?"  
  
Jean shot Scott a warning glance at his words. Scott backed down immediately.  
  
"I withdraw all comments."  
  
******************************  
  
(In the mutant institute)  
  
"You let three of our most valuable mutants escape!?"  
  
The catchers flinched when they heard the head of their institute yelling from his office.  
  
"That girl was going to be a prize! A great warrior! And my two best assassins! Wolverine was on schedule for a mission!"  
  
"Sir, we tried to stop them, but the girl was too fast, and Wolverine killed every one of ours he could."  
  
The head of the institute (let's call him Boss Man) turned in his chair, facing the slight little man before him.  
  
"And what of the other?"  
  
The little man began shaking.  
  
"He destroyed every catcher on the way to the garage, took our most expensive car, and left."  
  
The Boss Man folded his hands together, his fingers lacing over the backs of his hands. A golden ring was on his plump finger, a marriage band.  
  
"We shall have to track them down."  
  
"But sir...what of the people who they met? What if people remember them?"  
  
The Boss Man turned his chair again and narrowed his eyes at the wall.  
  
"Then...they must be terminated..."  
  
******************************  
  
  
So...whadya think? I'm gonna add another chapter ASAP! ; ) 


	3. A Dance and a Full Moon

*Disclaimer* (yawn) I don't own X-Men or any part of it. Elli/Elf is my character, though. I can only say this so many times: DON'T TAKE ELF!  
  
  
ELFEN  
  
  
  
******************************  
  
Elf sniffed the air as she sat at her window, looking very catlike without the hologram on. Her tail made a graceful arch next to her as she sat, reading the dictionary.  
  
"Elli? Are you zere?"  
  
Elf squeaked and put up her hologram as Kurt popped his head in.  
  
"Reading? Ze dictionary! Elli, sometimes I vorry about you."  
  
Elf giggled and closed the dictionary, tossing it onto her bed for later.  
  
"So, Kurt, about that dance..."  
  
Kurt covered his head and backed out. Elf couldn't help but giggle at him again.  
  
"I didn't even get to talk yet."  
  
Kurt popped his head back in, curious to what Elf had to say.  
  
"I don't know how to dance." Elf said sheepishly. "Only fight."  
  
Kurt shrugged and grinned.  
  
"I cannot dance eizer. As Keety vould say, I am most embarrassing."  
  
Elf grinned back at him, grateful.  
  
"We'll be bad dancers together then?"  
  
Kurt's ears turned red for some reason. He nodded, and they left the room.  
  
Together.  
  
******************************  
  
Wolverine watched Elf leave her room with Kurt. His eyes narrowed in suspicion. No matter what he heard from the Professor on the boy, he still didn't trust him and Elf alone together.  
  
He followed them.  
  
******************************  
  
Elf and Kurt walked to the danger room together. Elf listened while he talked about how the danger room worked, and he listened while she bubbled about the dance.  
  
"I can't wait! At the institute, we never had anything like that! It was all work work work, eat your paste, work work work, eat more paste, and training until lights out."  
  
Kurt shot her a confused glance, but Elf never noticed.  
  
"I just hope they got the picture and let everyone go." She mumbled, scuffin her foot on the floor.  
  
Kurt dismissed the comment, since he hardly even heard it.  
  
"So, Elli. Do you have any ozer name?"  
  
Elf nodded and grinned.  
  
"Elf."  
  
"Elf?"  
  
"Yeah, Elf. I got it at the institute."  
  
Kurt smiled nervously.  
  
"I meant a last name."  
  
Elf stared blankly at him, then shrugegd.  
  
"Just Elf, or Elli. But I'm used to Elf. It's all I've heard since I was about...three months old."  
  
Kurt just pretended he didn't hear her.  
  
"Like I said before, Elf." He grinned. "Sometimes, I vorry about you."  
  
******************************  
  
Wolverine listened closely to the conversation. He felt like kicking himself. Why hadn't he told Elf that the institute was to be a mystery to everyone?  
  
Elf continued to talk, even though Kurt was looking uncomfortable.  
  
Elf ducked into a bathroom, and Wolverine sighed from behind a pillar. That girl was more trouble than she was worth.  
  
******************************  
  
Elf washed her hands in the bathroom sink and went outside to where Kurt was. A little shock on her finger made her yelp.  
  
"What the hell was that?"  
  
Her hologram buzzed for a moment, and then Elf was left in the middle of the hall, a monster.  
  
She looked around in fear as people gasped and pointed.  
  
"Monster!"  
  
"Freak!"  
  
"Mutant!"  
  
Elf felt a tear fall onto her furry pale green cheek.  
  
"I'm not a monster!" She shouted, and flung herself out the open window.  
  
"Elli!"  
  
Kurt ran to the window, and looked out to see Elf land in the middle of a group of friends. They all began screaming, pointing, jeering. It made his blood boil just to watch as she ran screaming from them.  
  
Kurt ran down the hall as fast as he could, going on all fours when the coast was clear.  
  
Rogue, a girl with two toned brown and white hair, emerged from her room, and Kurt ran right into her.  
  
"Sorry Schwester, but Elli's hologram failed and she's running."  
  
Rogue whistled.  
  
"That girl is in fo' some helluva ride, then.Eh, Fuzzy?"  
  
Kurt shrugged and ran off again, on all fours.  
  
"Elli?"  
  
No response. He ran farther, and out of the school onto the lawn, only on his back legs now.  
  
"Elli?"  
  
A faint whimper. She was hidden behind a bush, her green self blending in with the freshly budded leaves.  
  
Kurt bent down next to her, careful not to be seen.  
  
"Elli, did you get vater on you ring?"  
  
Elf nodded and curled up into that position she made when she was scared: her knees hugged to her chest and rocking back and forth.  
  
"What do I do?"  
  
Kurt sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment. After a moment, a spaded blue tail came from behind him, he had uncurled it from around his waist. He took Elli up into his arms, curled his tail protectively around her, and they disappeared in a small black cloud with the smell of sulfer lingering in the air and a sound that could be described only as BAMF!  
  
******************************  
  
Rogue sniffed the air gingerly. Was that...sulfer?  
  
"Why must ah be cu'sed wit' a fuzzy blue boy fo' a brotha?" She muttered.  
  
The usual glances from the preppy kids didn't throw her off balance. Her goth look scared them away.  
  
Amen fo' that, eh Professor?  
  
Amen, Rogue. Amen.  
  
Rogue strolled through the school grounds, hoping to catch a glimpse of Kurt and that new girl...what was her name? That other guy called her Elf...was that her name?  
  
Rogue shrugged. If she could call herself Rogue, that girl could call herself Superslut for all she cared. The thought of the girl going around with people calling her that made Rogue smirk.  
  
"Hey, Roguey!" Rogue felt suddenly nauseated. The only person with the guts to cal her that was...  
  
"Lance. Go away."  
  
"Oh, Roguey you'll make me cry." The teen pouted at her, and Rogue grabbed their bare neck.  
  
"Nighty, night, Lance."  
  
Lance slumped to the ground, his energy drained. Rogue stomped away. At least her powers were good for something...  
  
******************************  
  
Wolverine growled when he saw that Kurt boy duck behind the bush where Elf was hiding. He just didn't trust the kid.  
  
They disappeared as soon as he got close. Wolverine growled deep in his throat. What was that kid up to now?  
  
******************************  
  
Elf shrieked when she was teleported. Kurt let her go immediately, and ran away, too ashamed of himself for showing his powers to face her.  
  
"Kurt!"  
  
Elf jumped up, and realized she was in the danger room.   
  
BAMF!   
  
Elf looked where Kurt had been, but only saw a thinning cloud of black smoke and the scent of sulfer.  
  
"Oh well." She sighed, turning to the big room.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hello, Elf."  
  
Elf jumped and did a barrel roll forward, facing the person behind her. Ororo stood, confused at the reaction. Elf relaxed and stood up straight, ashamed of her appearance.  
  
"I was so scared, I forgot my powers. Kurt brought me here, but then he left." She gestured to where the cloud was still thinning.  
  
The ring shocked her again.  
  
"Shit!"  
  
Elf pulled off the ring and put it on a table, rubbing her hand.  
  
"Ororo?"  
  
The placid woman looked up with only mild curiosity.  
  
"Ororo, why is everyone afraid of me?"  
  
******************************  
  
Kurt leaned against the wall, looking at the ceiling. The bright hallway light hurt his eyes. He lowered his gaze to Elf's door. Still closed.  
  
Kurt sighed and knocked.  
  
"Elf?"  
  
There was a bump, like she had fallen. She let out a stream of colorful words before she let herself say that she got herself hurt.  
  
Kurt opened the door in a flash, and heard a little squeak.  
  
"Kurt! I'm not even dressed!"  
  
Kurt blushed and slammed the door shut. He heard Elf swearing in her room.  
  
After a few minutes, Elf came out, ready at last.  
  
"I say nosin (nocin? nussin?) if you say nosin."  
  
Elf nodded in agreement.  
  
"Umm...Kurt. You are very red."  
  
"Mein gott! Red be gone!" He hissed to himself.  
  
Elf giggled.  
  
"We should go, Kurt. Or we'll be late."  
  
Kurt rolled his eyes and they walked down the hall to the gym.  
  
******************************  
  
Wolverine stood in a shadow at the far end of the gym. He didn't like the loud music, the way the kids from the school were dressed, or how Elf had decided to go with Kurt.  
  
He had her scent now, he knew she was close by. But she hadn't entered the gym yet. What were they doing?  
  
Wolverine growled when he thought of Kurt taking advantage of naive little Elf. But he couldn't attack the kid if he was just standing next to her.  
  
He would have to wait...  
  
******************************  
  
Elf stood uncertainly at the gym door, the sight of how the other teens were dressed reminding her of her own appearance.  
  
"Kurt, I'll be right back."  
  
Kurt could only stare at Elf as she ran down the hall. Now what was she doing?  
  
Elf hid behind the corner and flipped open her ring. The little button gleamed for a moment in the light before Elf pressed it.  
  
The hologram buzzed for a moment, and Elf went back to where Kurt was waiting for her.  
  
Kurt scuffed the floor with his foot, wondering where Elf had gone.  
  
"Sorry I took so long, Kurt."  
  
Kurt turned to her, ready to tease her, and stopped short.  
  
"Mein gott..."  
  
******************************  
  
Rogue watched Kurt curiously from her perch on the bleachers. He looked genuinely happy. Not his little 'watch-your-back-I-know-a-new-joke' look, or his 'you-look-funny-but-I'm-not-saying-why' look. Or any of those other looks he wore when he wanted to tease or joke.  
  
He was happy...and with that girl.  
  
"Roguey!"  
  
Rogue shut her eyes and swore under her breath.  
  
"Ah'm trying t' wacth mah brotha', Lance. Go away."  
  
Lance ignored her request.  
  
"Roguey, you have a visitor. Don't be so...mean...to them."  
  
Rogue glanced at him curiously.  
  
"Who?"  
  
Lance gestured with his chin to a tall, slim woman wearing a business suit. Her dark hair was up and her glasses hid only some of the harshness in her dark eyes.  
  
Rogue gulped, and was glad nobody saw it.  
  
"Hi, Mrs. Darkholme."  
  
Mrs. Darkholme didn't acknowledge the greeting. Instead, her eyes became sharp.  
  
"Rogue, I gave you one task and you failed me. Again. Once more and I shall cast you out."  
  
Rogue got a chill up her spine. Cast her out? Like a dog? How could she say something so casually?  
  
"Ah understand, Mrs. Darkholme."  
  
The woman nodded, and left the gym. Rogue pushed Lance off the bleachers and sulked.  
  
******************************  
  
"Woah..."  
  
"Who's she?"  
  
Kurt smiled to himself as he brought Elf into the gym. Elf stuck to his side, her fingers curled into the fabric of his sleeve.  
  
"Calm down, Elf. These people, zey von't hurt you."  
  
Elf relaxed a little, but not enough.  
  
"Hello, nurse!"  
  
Elf was swung away from Kurt, and found herself looking into the wild eyes of Lance.  
  
"How about a dance, little lady?"  
  
Elf hardly realized it when her fist pulled back, she only felt it when her fist connected with Lance's chin. Lance fell onto the ground, and spit out a tooth.  
  
"You crazy bitch!" He yelled, scurrying away.  
  
Elf glared after him, and felt Kurt's reassuring hand on her shoulder.  
  
"That vas a wundervoll hit, Elf. Let's get going before Frau Darkholme..." His eyes flashed with sudden anger, and Elf understood his remark.  
  
"Let's dance, Kurt. That is what a dance is for, isn't it?"  
  
Kurt grinned at her teasing.  
  
"But of course, Elf. Let us be fools!"  
  
Elf laughed as they went onto the dance floor. Just like they had promised, they were the idiots of the dance.  
  
Elf stopped as the song ended, and then it was a slow song.  
  
"Kurt, how do we dance to this?"  
  
From the far end of the gym, Wolverine growled softly in his throat.  
  
"Vell, just follow me."  
  
Kurt stepped towards her, and slipped his arms cautiously around her waist. With a few more whispered directions, Elf put her arms around his neck.  
  
"Like this?"  
  
Kurt nodded as they moved in rythm with the music.  
  
"Ja. Just like that..."  
  
******************************  
  
Wolverine narrowed his eyes at the couple. Sure they looked like they were just having a good time, but Wolverine begged to differ. Kurt had that certain look on his face...  
  
Wolverine growled and wished there weren't so many non-mutants around.  
  
He would have challenged the kid, right then and there.  
  
******************************  
  
Elf moved slowly, following Kurt's lead. Every once in a while, she would look down at their feet tosee how they were moving, and then look up at Kurt again with a satisfied smile.  
  
"I think I'm getting it."  
  
Kurt smiled back at her, but only a little. He was nervous having her this close to him.  
  
Elf heard the song fading, and suddenly Wolverine was next to her.  
  
"Elf, we need to talk."  
  
Elf shot him a glance, mostly annoyance, but let go of Kurt with a sigh and followed Wolverine off the dance floor.  
  
"Are you insane, Wolvie?" She hissed, her eyes flashing with that bottled up anger. "I was having a good time! For the first time...in a long time..."  
  
Elf lowered her gaze from Wolverine's face, suddenly ashamed of her outburst, although it had been small.  
  
"You have to keep your guard up, Elf. I don't trust that kid. I think you'll end up in a tight spot if you stick with him."  
  
Elf's eyes flared up again and she made fists.  
  
"I'm not a little girl to be ordered around, Wolvie. I can take care of myself quite well." She raised her eyes to his face once again and found that Wolverine was just as furious as her.  
  
"I count as your guardian here, Elf. you will listen to me!"  
  
"I'll do what I want!" Elf tried her best to keep her voice in check. "You're not my father!"  
  
Elf turned on her heel and went right back to Kurt.  
  
"Sorry about that. Wolvie's getting jumpy for some reason."  
  
Kurt just shrugged.  
  
"It is alright. Maybe ve should stand out for a moment."  
  
Elf shrugged. She was still unsure of how dances worked.  
  
Kurt worked through the dancers to a table laid with food. Kitty stood nearby, sipping from a glass and watching Kurt and Elf with sideways glances.  
  
"Food!" Kurt cried, grabbing the nearest...anything...he could.  
  
Elf laughed at him, but joined in his little celebration by nibbling on a potato chip.  
  
"Elf, eat!" Kurt said through a mouthful of something orange. "Zat is half ze fun!"  
  
Elf shook her head, smiling just so that Kurt stared at her, his jaw slightly slack.  
  
"I don't eat much."  
  
Kurt smirked and swallowed what was in his mouth.  
  
"As I have said before, Elf. Sometimes, I vorry about you."  
  
******************************  
  
Kurt couldn't believe his luck. He had asked Elf to the dance..and she said yes! Then she had showed up looking so...beautiful it made every other boy in the gym boil with jealousy.  
  
Elf had emerged from the bend dressed differently. Her roguish look had been changed to a princess type of look. Elf hair, isntead of dreadlocks, was loose in curls and waves that fell softly to her waist, some of it pulled back with white clips. Her whole 'stay-away-from-me' look had been replaced with a soft green dress that dipped low on her neck, had short but billowy sleeves, and a skirt that went just above her knees.  
  
Elf had gone right up to him as though she didn't looka s though she had just jumped off a cloud, with that little skirt swinging around her legs, and just apologized for taking so long.  
  
Kurt had told himself he would bring her back to her room that night, maybe see her the nextday in class, but Elf wanted to walk with him on the school grounds.  
  
The school grounds were full of little shrubs bursting with flowers, bushes that were lush and green, and trees that provided shade for students as they studied. At night, there were little lights every once in a while to flood certain spots with light.  
  
Elf liked the dark areas. They made her feel safer for some reason.  
  
"Vas? Ze dark? Elf...I von't say it now. Let's just valk."  
  
Elf laughed softly, a sound almost like the silver bells the gypsies wore in the circus.  
  
"I say we just walk."  
  
The silence around them seemed deafening, but every once in a while there was the friendly chirp of a cricket, the rustle of leaves in the wind, or a bird giving out a sleepy cry.  
  
Elf lifted her face to the moon, a full one. The light stretched out with soft fingers to carress her skin. Kurt just watched her as her eyes filled with a happiness, that was also a sadness.  
  
"Have you ever wanted to die, Kurt?"  
  
The question would have sent him reeling if it was a punch.  
  
"Vas?" He breathed, almost too afraid to ask the meaning behind it.  
  
"Have you ever wanted to die, just disappear of the face of the Earth so the pain would stop?"  
  
She looked at him now, the moon behind her. Kurt's mouth felt dry suddenly.  
  
"Never."  
  
Elf sighed, and her fingers curled around a silver chain around her neck. She closed her eyes and her face got a suddenly peaceful look, as though she was remembering something.  
  
Kurt stepped closer to her, watching her intently.  
  
"Vhat do you see, Elf?"  
  
Elf opened her eyes slowly, taking in the sight of Kurt in the moonlight.  
  
"I see...me."  
  
Kurt caressed her cheek, and Elf smiled lazily.  
  
"I see you, too."  
  
Kurt lowered his face to her's, their lips meeting. Elf's eyes flew open in surprise as it happened, but let Kurt take over from there on.  
  
Kurt put a hand behind her neck, pulling her closer to him. He felt the prickle of a sharp tooth on his tongue, the delightful pulse of Elf's heart against him as the kiss became deeper. She opened to him, putting her own trembling hands around his neck. Kurt smiled against her lips, wondering what was going through her head. But then, at the same time, knowing it didn't matter.  
  
******************************  
  
Ok, so this chapter wasn't exactly my love. Tell me what you think so I can decide whether or not to kill this story. 


	4. A New Mystery

*Disclaimer* I don't own X-Men or any part of it. I do, however, own Elf/Elli so don't steal her.  
  
  
ELFEN  
  
  
  
******************************  
  
Elf yawned, bending over her homework and squinting at the blurred letters. She pinched the bridge of her nose, closed her eyes, and breathed deeply. The letters were clear again.  
  
"I have to sleep soon." Elf muttered, looking at the clock on her wall.  
  
It was nearly midnight.  
  
Elf yawned again, pushed her books off of her bed, and turned off her light. She crawled underneath the covers, not even bothering to change, and fell asleep almost right away.  
  
The door to her room creaked open slowly, and a shadow of a figure stood there, silhouetted by the light of the hallway. They came over to the bed, watched Elf for a moment, their lips in a curious sneer, before they put something on the table next to her bed. After watching Elf again for a few moments, they scurried out and closed the door lightly.  
  
Elf turned over in her sleep, her face peaceful.  
  
Her eyes fluttered for a moment as she dreamed...  
  
******************************  
  
(RRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!)  
  
Elf sat up in bed, smashing her hand down on her alarm clock. She yawned, swinging her legs over the side of the bed, and her hand brushed against something on ehr side table.  
  
With a look of curiosity, Elf stared at the strange little box on the table. She picked it up, examined it, and then put it back. She would show it to the Professor before she went out with Kurt.  
  
Elf went into her shower, taking almost an hour to wash all of her fur and her long hair. She sat in front of a vanity, brushing out her hair and tying it back in a braid.  
  
Elf got dressed into a white tank top and blue drawstring shorts, then walked out of her room barefoot. It was the weekend, so there weren't any other students for Elf to worry about.  
  
Rogue stepped out of her room, yawned, and then quickly shut her mouth and put on ehr best scowl when she saw Elf.  
  
"Hello, Rogue." Elf said in a monotone voice.  
  
Rogue sneered and walked towards the training room. Elf sighed. She just didn't understand Rogue, at all.  
  
"Elf, did you want to see me?"  
  
Elf spun around to see the Professor, sitting placidly in his wheelchair. She smield sheepishly, showing her fangs.  
  
"Well, can we talk in your office?"  
  
The Professor nodded, and a few minutes later they were in his office, looking at the little box.  
  
"This is quite strange, Elf. You said it was just sitting next to your bed?"  
  
Elf nodded, and noticed a little round button the same color as the rest of the box.  
  
"Professor, what's that?"  
  
The Professor turned the box and stared at the button for a moment. He pressed it, but nothing happened.  
  
"Oh well. How about if I make you some coffee, Professor? I just learned how."  
  
The Professor smiled his warm smile and nodded.  
  
"Let's go."  
  
Elf closed the door behind her as they left, and they began going down the hall towards the kitchen.  
  
In the Professor's office, the little box clicked, and an explosion rocked the school.  
  
******************************  
  
Elf woke up in the infirmary, her vision swimming. She heard voices, but they sounded far away.  
  
"I can't imagine her putting any explosives in the Professor's office, but she's only been here for so long..."  
  
"I heard her mind screaming for help. It's just about impossible to do that without meaning it, you know."  
  
"Look, she's awake!"  
  
Elf sat up slowly, putting her hand to her head gingerly. Her fingertips felt a scratchy bandage that wound around her head.  
  
"Elf, can you hear me?"  
  
Elf nodded, and gulped. Her throat felt like sandpaper.  
  
"Can I have some water?" She croaked.  
  
Someone thrust a glass of water at her, and Elf drank it slowly.  
  
"What happened?" She asked, her voice clearer.  
  
"We thought you would know."  
  
Elf suddenly remembered the Professor, and she looked around in a panic.  
  
"Where's the Professor? Is he okay?"  
  
Ororor nodded at her, and Elf wondered if maybe Ororo was a nurse or a doctor.  
  
"He only got a bit bruised. According to him, you seemed almost...ready...for the explosion."  
  
Elf looekd at Ororo questionably.  
  
"What do you mean?" She asked, but then ehr mind clicked. "Wait, are you saying that I..."  
  
Ororo bit her lip nervously.  
  
"Well, we can't be sure. What was that box you showed him?"  
  
Elf shrugged. she felt tired all of a sudden, like she hadn't slept for weeks.  
  
"I woke up, and it was ont he table next to my bed. So I asked him what he thought it was. We were going downstairs, and then there was this explosion..."  
  
Elf couldn't remember anything else from there on. Ororo looked satisfied.  
  
"Your stories match. I tthink you're telling the truth, Elf. It's just that your past troubles me..."  
  
Elf looked at her lap. She knew what Ororo was talking about.  
  
"Is she awake yet?"  
  
Elf looked up in surprise to see Kurt standing in the doorway. Wolverine stood next to him, which made Elf smile. Both of them came over, Kurt asking ehr what had happened and slipping into German, which threw ehr off, and WOlverine stood there, a satisfied look on his face.  
  
"Vhat happened, Elli? Mein gott I vas vorried about you! Wenig Liebe of mine..."  
  
Kurt took Elf's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Ororo smirked at the thought of Kurt getting tied down to a girl after claiming he was a ladies' man.  
  
Wolverine cleared his throat, catching everyone's attention.  
  
"How, exactly, did all of this happen?"  
  
Elf bit her lip, looking into Wolverine's eyes for a moment to show tht what she would say next was the truth.  
  
"I think somebody wants me, or someone else, dead. That bomb was put in my room, maybe to kill me. Or for me to show to my friends, and then kill them."  
  
Kurt's eyes widened, but Wolverine stayed calm.  
  
"Zat is schrecklich! Mein gott!"  
  
Ororo rolled her eyes, and Jean came out from another room. She looked at Wolverine, and her face turned red enough to blend in with her hair before she ran back to the other room. Wolverine looked after her with a bit of confusion.  
  
"Wasn't that the little psychic?"  
  
Ororo nodded and rewrapped Elf's bandage.  
  
"Shit!" Wolverine hissed, hurrying to where Jean had gone.  
  
Ororo just hummed a tune as she fastened the end of Elf's bandage and wrote down someting on a piece of paper.  
  
"Here you go, Elf." She said, handing the sheet of paper.  
  
Elf smiled a little as Ororo began humming again.  
  
"What is that?" She asked, Kurt smiled just like she did.  
  
Ororo looked at Elf in surprise, and then blushed.  
  
"It's a song from Africa that I remember. It's about home."  
  
Elf nodded, and felt Kurt's fingertips against hers. She slipped her hand into his, making little circles in his palm with her finger. Kurt smiled at her, and Oror moved away to check on something else.  
  
"Elf, I could hardly sleep, knowing zat you vere here." Kurt said softly, leaning in closer to her.  
  
Elf smiled at him as he put a hand to her cheek. This was very unlike Kurt.  
  
Kurt brushed his lips over hers, his eyes only half open. Elf closed the gap between them, pressing her mouth down on his almost with need. Her hand went to the side of his face, holding him, while his hand went behind her neck to bring her closer.  
  
"A-hem!"  
  
Elf glanced over to see Jean and Wolverine staring at them, Wolverine looking murderous, and Jean looking amused.  
  
Ororo stood to the other side, standing completely still, a clipboard in her frozen hand.  
  
"Hey, do that in private." Jean teased as she walked over to them. "How's your head?"  
  
Elf shrugegd as Kurt backed away. Wolverine gave Kurt a look that said 'I'm-gonna-kill-you' and growled.  
  
"Wolvie! Stop it!"  
  
Wolverine looekd sheepish, and slunk away. Ororo laughed and came over to the bed, writing on her clipboard.  
  
Over the next half hour, Elf was brushed up on gossip around the school and so on and so forth...  
  
******************************  
  
Kurt frowned down at his plate of food. There never seemed to be enough.  
  
Across the table from him, Elf ate her burger with a look of curiosity on her face.  
  
Elf had never eaten a burger before.  
  
Kurt took a huge bite out of his own, pondering the thought as he chewed.  
  
"Kurt?"  
  
Kurt looekd up at her.  
  
"Whaizi?" Kurt asked, his mouth full of food.  
  
Elf gave him a skeptical look and he swallowed.  
  
"Vas?"  
  
Elf put down her burger, and looked at him seriously.  
  
"Do you know where I'm from?"  
  
Kurt shook his head, and took another bite of his burger.  
  
Elf sighed and sipped her soda. The fast food joint scared her out of her wits, with all these people around. She kept checking her ring to make sure it was still on, and whenever someone looked at her, her heart began to race as though she was being hunted.  
  
"Elf, are you alright?" Kurt asked as Elf twitched slightly.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine. There's just a lot of people here..."  
  
Kurt shrugged, finished the last bite of his burger, and licked the ketchup off his fingers. He wished he had more money, then he would have gotten more food.  
  
Elf finished her own burger, wiped off her hands with her napkin. She rolled up all of her garbage into a little ball, threw it out, and met Kurt at the door.  
  
"Let's get out of this place."  
  
Kurt grinned.  
  
"Let's go to ze park. It is not so crowded in zere." He suggested.  
  
Elf smiled with appreciation at Kurt and follwoed him out the door. The street outside wasn't as noisy as inside, being a sidestreet that wasn't travelled often, and Elf felt more at ease.  
  
"Elf, vhere do you come from?" Kurt asked, rememebring her question from before.  
  
Elf sighed, bowed her head, and began walking in the direction of the park.  
  
"I'm going to tell everybody at dinner tonight, since everyone seems to think I'm from an abusive family." She mumbled, kicking at a tin can.  
  
The can rolled down the street, and fell into the gutter. A car drove past, sleek and black, with tinted windows. Elf watched it go, and Kurt stood next to her.  
  
"I wish I could drive." Elf mumbled to the air.  
  
Kurt and Elf shuffled along, both unsure of what to say in the awkward silence. Kurt finally saw a fountain, the entrance to the park.  
  
"Here ve are, Elf!"  
  
Elf stood in awe across the street, taking in every piece of information she could. The park entrance was indicated with a tall black, wrought iron gate that swung open onto the street. The fence went around the whole perimeter of the park, with ivy crawling up to the top in some places. Through the fence she could see the tall pine trees, little bushes beneath the trunks, scattered around the paths. The fountain in the front sprayed out crystal water from a group of cement angels, each spouting water from its mouth or a trumpet.  
  
"Vas?" Kurt called from the park entrance. "Too much for you, Elf?"  
  
Elf blinked, and frowned at him. How had he gotten there so fast? She guessed at using his gifts and hurried towards him.  
  
"You should wait for me next time!" She chided, pulling at his sleeve.  
  
Kurt shrugged and led her through the gate.  
  
"Zis is ze best park zat I know, Elf." Kurt exclaimed as they walked to the center of the park. "I zink (cink? sink? I don't know how to write it) zat you vill like it."  
  
Elf heard a roar, followed by peals of laughter and someone yelling.  
  
"What was that?"  
  
Kurt shrugged again and they approached the noise with curiosity.  
  
Lining the path were cages of animals: monkeys, lions, tigers, bears(oh my!), goats, sheep, and a little corral with ponies inside of it, tied to the center with long ropes.  
  
"What is this?" Elf breathed, horrified at the sight of cages.   
  
They reminded her of the cold little cell she had lived in for most of her life.  
  
"I guess it is a zoo. Zere has never been one before." Kurt answered, looking at the lion.  
  
Elf stared into the lion's face, a long scar down it's nose. It's eyes were so sad...  
  
"This is horrible." Elf hissed, moving on to the monkeys.  
  
The monkeys jumped around in their cage, howling and screaming and rattling the bars. Elf put her hand on a bar gently, so as not to scare them. One of the monkeys ran over to her, staring up with innocent eyes as it reached for her hand. In a second, it had pulled off her ring and put it on its own finger, making a very small hologram of the normal Elf appear in the cage.  
  
BAMF!  
  
Elf sat on the tree limb, staring down at Kurt. He tried to get the ring from the monkey, but it wouldn't give it back. Elf finally BAMFed her way into the cage and grabbed it from the little ape. As she slid it onto her finger, a group of teenagers began coming towards the cage, curious about what the monkeys were screaming about. Elf BAMFed out again, to the other end of the cages. She walked up to Kurt with a smile, taking his hand and looking into the cage to watch the smoke inside of it clear.  
  
"Kurt, this place scares me." Elf whispered, watching one of the monkeys watching her.  
  
"It is just a zoo, Elf. Vas is there to be afraid of?"  
  
Elf bowed her head, hoping Kurt didn't have telepathy as one of his gifts.  
  
The monkey watching her slunk back into one of the shadowy corners, and sat down, holding its knees to its chest. Elf felt horrible comparing ehr past situation to a monkey's, but the sight was uncanny. But then to her shock, the little primate opened its mouth and spoke.  
  
"I know all of your secrets, little girl. I know why you scream, why you cry, why your nightmares keep you awake at night. I know why you'll end up in a cage like this again, just watching as people ogle at you and trying to keep hold of your sanity. Oh yes, little girl. I know exactly what you're thinking this moment. I know everything about you, from the day of your birth-" The world seemed to go black except for the sound of the ape's voice. "-to the day of your death."  
  
******************************  
  
Elf woke up, Kurt calling her name. The teenagers from before were crowded around her, all trying to revive her. They stepped back in surprise when she opened her eyes.  
  
"Elf, are you alright?" Kurt asked, holding her up.  
  
Elf nodded, holding her head.  
  
"Kurt, let's go home." She said, her voice so faint it was hardly even a whisper.  
  
Kurt nodded in agreement, helping ehr stand up and walk towards the entrance to the park.  
  
"Kurt, we would get home quicker if we..."  
  
Kurt nodded again, and wrapped his arms around her protectively. With a BAMF! they disappeared in twin clouds of black smoke.  
  
A stranger stepped out of the trees, watching the cloud thin. She pulled out a radio and spoke into it, her voice low.  
  
"I have identification for the escaped mutant, and an ally. Possibly another mutant. I'm ready to report back to base. Over."  
  
The radio crackled in return to her comment.  
  
"Hurry up then, girl! We don't got all day!"  
  
The woman scowled at the radio as she clipepd it to her belt. With a quick glance around, she launched ehrself into the air, spreading out wings made out of compressed air. She smirked to herself, knowing she would be killed if the Weapon X project figured out she was a mutant.  
  
******************************  
  
Elf and Kurt reappeared in the infirmary. Elf's legs wobbled and Kurt had to hold her up as Ororo came over.  
  
"Where did you guys go? We were trying to contact you when the Professor got a strange reading from Elf and-" Ororo stopped as she realized Elf was beginning to break out in a sweat.  
  
Ororo put the back of her hand to Elf's forehead, and frowned.  
  
"Leave her down here, Kurt. It looks like she's coming down with something."  
  
Kurt put Elf into one of the beds, kissing ehr softly on the lips before standing back. Ororo stuck a thermometer under Elf's tongue, took her pulse, and looked into ehr eyes with a light. Reading the thermometer and clicking her tongue, Ororo sauntered over to a table, wrote something down on a piece of paper, and came back with a cotton swab.  
  
"Open up." Ororo chirped.  
  
Elf opened her mouth, and Ororo put the swab to the back of her throat. Elf gagged, frowning at Ororo as she put the cotton swab onto a dish.  
  
"Well, Elfie. Looks like you are coming down with something. Why don't you just go up to your room for now? I'll send Kurt up with something for you in a little bit, okay?"  
  
Elf nodded and disappeared in black smoke. Ororo clicked her tongue and wrote down some more on ehr piece of paper. She handed another slip of paper to Kurt, and sent him to the kitchen. After both of them were gone, Ororo collapsed into a chair and heaved a sigh.  
  
"That girl..."  
  
******************************  
  
Elf sniffled, blew her nose, and sipped her orange juice. It was the most she could do with the flu beating her down.  
  
"Knock knock, Elf. Are you zere?"  
  
Elf sniffled and cleared her throat.  
  
"Come od id, Kurt." She croaked.  
  
Kurt peeked in with a smile.  
  
"How's my sick leetle keeten?" He taunted, coming in with a book.  
  
Elf took the book reluctantly, and sniffled. She didn't bother using her hologram now, since she was confined to her room. Kurt grinned at her.  
  
"More of zis and you vill be swamepd vith homework."  
  
Elf scowled at the little book, and tossed it into the growing pile next to her bed.  
  
"I dod wad ady more homework."  
  
She blew her nose again, and took another sip of orange juice. Her throat burned like fire when she did, but Ororo had told her to drink the burning liquid until she felt better.  
  
Elf covered her mouth suddenly and ran into her bathroom. Kurt followed her, muttering a curse, and held her head still as she vomited into the toilet.  
  
Kurt gave her some water to rinse out her mouth and brought her back to her bed. Elf sniffled, blew her nose, and sat sullenly.  
  
"I don't like being sick." She grumbled.  
  
Kurt sat next to her on the bed and put an arm around her shoulders. Elf sniffled and leaned onto him, feeling like a small child.  
  
"Elf, zere are things in zis vorld that you vill not like, but you vill have to go through them to get through life. Do you understand?"  
  
Elf nodded and sniffled. The door to the room opened and Elf got ready to put up her hologram before she saw it was Ororo with a enw box of tissues.  
  
"I thought you might need these, Elf. How are you feeling?"  
  
Ororo set down the box of tissues next to Elf on the bed and stood wringing her hands like a worried mother. Elf looked up at her, with bloodshot eyes and a runny nose, pale skin beneath ehr pale green fur, and her tall pointed ears drooping.  
  
"I feel like shit." She grumbled.  
  
Ororo frowned at Elf's language, but shrugged. She would probably respond the same way if she had a tail that went limp and lifeless while she was sick.  
  
"Elf, sorry to tell you this, but there's no medicine for the flu. I've tried to see if anything worked, from coughs to colds, but none of them lessen symptoms for the flu."  
  
Elf scowled at the box of tissues and Kurt looked at his watch.  
  
"I have to get going. I'm helping the Professor build his office again."  
  
Kurt grinend and did some strange footwork as he walked out the door. Ororo sighed and smiled at Elf.  
  
"Maybe you could come down to the kitchen later. I'll make you some soup."  
  
Elf smield backa s best she could, and then fell onto her side when Ororo left her room.  
  
"Ooooooooo, my head." She mumbeld into her pillow.  
  
Elf's head pounded like a hammer from her congestion. She turned onto her back and stared at the ceiling, letting the sleepiness that came with the flu wash over her until she was sound asleep.  
  
The shadowy figure appeared at her window, dropping a little box onto the bed next to Elf. They snaked away as silently as they had come, and still Elf slept on...  
  
******************************  
  
Okay here's the thing: I can't put in chapters so often. Maybe once a week if I'm lucky, so the chapters will be delayed. 


	5. The Danger Room

*Disclaimer* I don't own X-Men or any part of it. But Elf/Elli, mine. Blah, blah, blah, yadayadayada, here's the story.  
  
  
  
  
ELFEN  
  
  
  
  
  
******************************  
  
Elf sneezed, and caught it in her tissue. With a grimace, she threw the soiled tissue into the garbage and went back into the Danger Room.  
  
"Elf! Come here!" Wolverine growled from the other side of the room.  
  
Elf trudged over, sniffling, and cocked her head to the side.  
  
"Elf, you're assigned to go into the Danger Room with..."  
  
Wolverine flipepd through a clipboard full of papers. He traced down one of them with his finger, and then stabbed a line with his fingerpoint.  
  
"Here it is. You're assigned with Rogue and Kurt."  
  
Elf grumbled and went off to the locker room.  
  
"Where's you uniform, Elf?" Jean asked, looking up from tying her shoe. "Oh wait! I remember! I left in in your locker, number fifteen."  
  
Elf opened up the locker and took out a bundle of clothes. She shot a questionable look at Jean, but began changing.  
  
******************************  
  
Kurt paced in the room leading to the Danger Room, wearing his uniform. his tail swished from side to side, almost impatiently, as he looked anxiously at the door, and then began pacing again.  
  
The door opened, and Kurt looked up.  
  
"Ah'm here, bro. Where's that' girl?"  
  
BAMF!  
  
"Sorry I took so long, guys. I forgot where the room was." Elf gushed, adjusting one of her gloves.  
  
Kurt took in the sight of her before they went into the room. Her feet were bare, but she had on tight, black leggings with a white stripe up the side of each leg. Her shirt, also tight, was a black belly shirt, with a white stripe up the front and a collar that reached halfway up her neck. Her gloves were big and black, and she had her hair back in a thick emerald braid. Her tail whipped out behind her, arching, and then curving gracefully in another direction.  
  
Kurt gulped. He could never fight her, but it was too late to say that.  
  
"Okay, the Danger Room is ready!"  
  
Elf winced at the voice over the speaker, but entered the room along with Rogue and Kurt.  
  
******************************  
  
Elf stared around the room. It was bare, with sheet metal walls the color of granite, and a matching floor and ceiling.  
  
"Okay, are you ready? I'm going to start the simulation."  
  
Elf recognized Scott's voice, calm and every word deliberate.  
  
There was a whirring noise, and buildings materialized around them, along with a street and cars.  
  
Elf gasped and looked around warily. This place reminded her of the training room in the institute.  
  
"Go!"  
  
Rogue smirked at Elf, and put her hand gingerly to her arm. Elf felt energy being drained from her, so she curled her tail up.  
  
The tip of Elf's tail hit Rogue's cheek with a crack. Blood trickled down Rogue's chin, and she stumbled backwards in shock.  
  
Elf took advantage of the surprise, and did a few flips backwards t get away from Rogue. She heard the familiar BAMF noise, and ducked just as Kurt made a swing at her with his fist. Elf went on her back, and launched herself up with her hands. With her foot outstretched, she hit Kurt in the jaw and sent him reeling backwards, but not before Rogue came after her again.  
  
Elf used her gloves to grab Rogue's hands, and then jumped gracefully over one arm, still holding on. With a quick wrench, she had Rogue screaming for mercy and Kurt watching in horror as she did a few quick moves with her fingertips on Rogue's neck and then near her heart.  
  
Rogue crumpled to the ground, and Kurt launched at Elf, not knowing what she did. Elf put up her arm just in time to save herself from Kurt's fist. Kurt lashed out again, with his foot. Elf did the same, and blocked him again. The pattern went on for a while before Kurt noticed that Elf was getting bored.  
  
Kurt kicked, and BAMFed behind Elf, hooking his foot behind her leg and pulling her backwards. Elf BAMFed just before she hit the ground, and left Kurt looking around in confusion. She wasn't anywhere in sight.  
  
A wooshing sound from above told Kurt to move, and Elf landed where he had been standing, her tail whipping around and her hair wild. Elf did a flip towards Kurt, and their forearms met in the air, both offensive and defensive.  
  
"That's enough!"  
  
Elf blinked, and then looked around to see Rogue on the floor. She bent down next to her, and did a similar motion to before. Rogue was swearing and flailing around in a moment, trying to hit Elf.  
  
"Rogue, we're done. The exercise is over." Elf sniggered, standing up straight.  
  
Rogue scowled at her, and stood up. With a shake of her vest, she sauntered off.  
  
Elf followed, and then Kurt. Kurt rubbed his forearm, wincing as he did. It hurt just to touch the tender spot there.  
  
******************************  
  
"Elf, that was fantastic! Where did you learn to do that?" Jean asked as Elf entered the locker room again.  
  
Elf bowed her head, blushing a strange combination of red with her green fur.  
  
"I would prefer not to talk about it, Jean."  
  
Jean shrugged, and began gushing again as Elf changed out of her clothes.  
  
"And when you did that little jump-thing to Rogue, that was great! You have to show me that sometime, okay?"  
  
Elf nodded, putting on a black and deep red tank top Jean had given her.  
  
"And Kurt looked so mad! He thought you actually killed her!"  
  
Elf pulled on a pair of baggy jeans and shut her locker, unsure of what to do with her feet. She shut her locker andlet her hair loose, catching a brush that Jean tossed to her.  
  
"Well, it's just a simple little thing. Twice on the neck in two different places, and then once near the heart. The person's air supply to their brain is lessened and they crumple, no matter how good-"  
  
"Or bad."  
  
"-they are." Elf finished with a smirk.  
  
Jean put something into her locker and shut it with a yawn.  
  
"I have been up all night!" She said in another yawn. "I am beyond exhausted!"  
  
Elf giggled as Jean stretched out on one of the benches and began sleeping. She would never understand how or why the people at the school did what they did, but she had somewhat of an idea.  
  
******************************  
  
"So, you really did get beat, eh Roguie?"  
  
Rogue made a fist with one hand, and tried to cover the bandage on her cheek with the other.  
  
"Lance, go away." She said shortly.  
  
Lance didn't budge. He just sat, his dark hair falling into his dark eyes, and smirking.  
  
"Well, ROGUIE, it seems as though I am not afraid of you." Lance said, just a little bit too cocky.  
  
"LANCE! ROGUE! GET IN HERE NOW!"  
  
Rogue and Lance both winced at the sharp voice, but went into the other room where Mystique stood waiting.  
  
"Rogue! you let youself get beaten by an X-Men?"  
  
Rogue shrugged, and brushed her hair away from her face so her bandage was visible.  
  
"So, what if Ah did, Mystique?"  
  
Mystique was fuming.  
  
"That is IT! You are hereby, discharged, from the Brotherhood House. You can stay with your..."  
  
Mystique stopped talking, and the tension fell from her like a ton of bricks.  
  
"Yes...of course...you can stay with your brother...he'll put up with you..."  
  
Mystique blinked, and glanced sharply at Lance.  
  
"You left the food cooking for too long."  
  
Black smoke was near the ceiling. Lance cursed and ran into the kitchen. Mystique turned her watchful eye back to Rogue.  
  
"I want you to stay with your brother until further notice, is that clear?"  
  
Rogue nodded, and Mystique turned on her heel.  
  
"Pack your thingss, Rogue. You leave tomorrow."  
  
******************************  
  
Elf heard shuffling and cursing, and then a thump.  
  
"OoOuch! Gawd dammit!"  
  
Elf listened intently, completely silent, as there was a knocking.  
  
"Vas? Rogue! Vhat are you doing here?"  
  
Rogue was going to Kurt.  
  
"Kurt, Ah hafta stay with ye fer a while. Or maybe, Baldy can fix me up."  
  
Kurt shuffled around, probably uncomfortable.  
  
"Vell, Rogue. You know Ivould love you to stay vith me...but zen, I vould be in trouble."  
  
Rogue cursed under her breath.  
  
"Gawd dammit! Now Ah hafta talk ta Baldy!"  
  
Kurt chuckled, and then shuffled again.  
  
"Vell, maybe you can stay for a vhile. But ze Professor vill know sooner or later. Better later. Come on in!"  
  
Elf scowled. She didn't know what Rogue and Kurt were up to, but she didn't like it.  
  
******************************  
  
"Grraarrgghh!"  
  
Elf spun around in a complete circle, her leg slamming in the side of the punching bag. Some dust rose, and the bag wavered on its supports a little. Elf breathed heavily, wiping the sweat from her face and taking a drink from her water bottle.  
  
"Don't you think you should calm down a bit?"  
  
Elf turned to Wolverine as he walked into the room.  
  
"I haven't seen you around for a while." Elf answered, putting down her water bottle.  
  
"I've been here."  
  
Elf gave the bag a few punches, and then a kick.  
  
"I heard about how you did...in the Danger Room."  
  
Elf stopped again and turned to him.  
  
"What do you care, Wolvie? Do you think I'm too little for the fighting now?" Elf snapped, and did a spin kick to the bag.  
  
Wolverine grabbed her foot, and she ended up on her back on the mat.  
  
"Wolvie, let me go!" Elf growled.  
  
Wolverine let go, and took a step back so she could flip up onto her feet. Elf faced him with a scowl on her face.  
  
"Wolvie, what do you want?"  
  
Wolverine shrugged, and crossed his arms over his chest.  
  
"I helped get you out of that place, Elf. You should at least be thankful."  
  
Elf picked up her water bottle and took a drink from it before facing Wolverine again.  
  
"Wolvie, I am thankful. But Kurt is NOT as dangerous as you thought. He's gentle as a kitten, and I met my match in fighting."  
  
Wolverine looked into her face to see if she was telling the truth. Elf stared right back at him.  
  
"I believe you, Elf. But still, be careful. I've been finding a scent around here...and it's familiar. I don't know why, but it is."  
  
Elf nodded, and went back to her punching bag until Wolverine left the room. When the door shut behind him, Elf stared down at the floor and sighed.  
  
"Thank you, Wolvie."  
  
******************************  
  
The smoke filtered out of the machine as the young woman powered it with her powers. She looked too weak to move anymore when her catcher came and took her away.  
  
"Bring on the next flamer!"  
  
A young man was dragged in, and his hands strapped to the machine. The flames swirled out of his hands and smoke filtered out ofthe machine once again.  
  
In the boss' office, the woman from the park sat in front of his desk, waiting for his orders to her.  
  
"So..." The boss began, drumming his fingers on the arm of his chair. "You found the mutant?"  
  
The woman nodded, honey blond hair bobbing around her shoulders.  
  
"Yes, I have, sir. She was with another one, I think. They teleported out of the area, but I couldn't find their coordinates afterwards, sir."  
  
The boss stopped drumming, and laced his hands together with his fingers.  
  
"You have proven worthy of your title, Miss Genter."  
  
Miss Genter gulped, and thought of her responses.  
  
"Thank you, sir. I plan to go out again and continue the search for the mutant, AND her accomplices. We will find her, sir."  
  
"Of course you will, Miss Genter. Because, you know what happens if you don't..."  
  
Miss Genter began trembling, but she sat up straight and nodded.  
  
"Yes I do, sir. I shall be going now."  
  
The boss listened to her footsteps as she left, and then chuckled to himself.  
  
"Silly girl..."  
  
******************************  
  
  
  
  
  
  
So....should I kill or continue? Be kind...review! 


End file.
